Curatorial Statement

A touring exhibition of 50 small tapestries from Australia and Canada
Curated by Dorothy Clews and Linda Wallace

Background

Tapestry is one of the oldest forms of public and private art, produced to communicate complex ideas and stories, an art form that has turned public spaces into veritable galleries through the centuries. Tapestry also has another historical context in the form of artefacts- boots, clothing, bed and floor coverings.

FindingHome @tapestry.ca/au explores tapestry as both art form and artefact.

A tapestry postcard: a small postal object that has travelled thousands of kilometres through the public postal system, stamped and franked with an image/message that happens to be of fibre rather than card; a method of communication: a physical reminder of a place.

It subverts the usual perception of tapestry as art form and treats it like an everyday object.

At the same time it addresses the void left by the wonders of instant communication, delivered by technology but leaving no object. An envelope received in the mail today can be infinitely precious containing handwritten messages, drawings, and photos. In e-mails there is no imprint of the senders hand. The sense of the tactile is missing. The concept of tapestry woven postcards is the antithesis of electronic communication.

Theme

Canada and Australia share a similar cultural heritage but are so different in light, in colour, flora and fauna. In the midst of similarities and differences, the concept of *home* is something universal. The ingredients that comprise that recognition of *home* differ from person to person – it’s highly individual.

Exhibitors have exchanged postcards and thoughts on their interpretation of home – whether it is the landscape they inhabit, or particular elements of the dwelling they currently find themselves in. The postcards and messages that make up the exhibition search out the essence of what constitutes that feeling of home. Many-layered and intertwined. Some understandable, some intangible, messages about who we are, what we make, and why.